


Sunshine Animal Shelter

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Sam Ships It, cas and sam were friends first, sam works at an animal clinic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 20:06:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2441312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam has been volunteering at an animal shelter for the past year, and he loves it, but Dean has no idea why. Then he finally visits Sam one day after school, and he sees something he definitely likes - well, someone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunshine Animal Shelter

"Dean, just hurry up - I don't want to be late again," Sam chided his brother from the passenger seat, rolling his eyes when Dean flipped him off. 

"Just hold on, I've gotta tell Mom you're going there. I don't get why  _you_ don't just text her."

"Oh, maybe it's because  _I don't have a cell phone._ " 

Dean hit send and then turned to his little brother, Sam's overgrown hair falling into his face. "Bitch."

"Jerk," Sam smiled as he said it, leaning back on his seat as Dean turned the key. 

Sam had started volunteering at the Sunshine Animal Shelter last year, when he was an eighth grader. He used to go every other week, then twice a week, and had finally worked his way up to going every day except for Sundays and the occasional Friday. Dean didn't know why he liked it. Being surrounded by dirty mutts and _fucking cats,_ cleaning up cages and washing hostile animals that had just been picked up on the road - it was like a nightmare to Dean. His little brother loved dogs, and since working at the shelter, he'd started to like cats, too. Dean hated dogs and he was allergic to cats, so the whole thing was a big N-O for him. But since Sam was still too young to drive, Dean was his chauffeur. At least he never had to go inside the damn place. 

The shelter was open from 8 AM to 6 PM, and it looked pretty nice from the outside. A big brick building with a fenced-off area for dogs to go play outside, along with a little arbor area where they washed all the animals. There was an obnoxious sign over the front door, bright yellow letters on a red background - Dean felt like his eyes were getting assaulted whenever he looked at it.  _"A Home For Every Creature - Sunshine Animal Shelter",_ it read. The place was nice, Dean could admit that; from what Sam had told him, the other volunteers were all friendly and kind, and the full-time workers were gentle and caring. It was a no-kill shelter, which could be a problem in some places - animal pileup and all that. But not in Lawrence, oh no. Everyone had a pet, or almost everyone. Every family except the Winchesters. 

Sam felt like he'd been cheated out of a pet, so he started working at the shelter, where he could be surrounded by as many smelly animals as he wanted at a time. And right then, Dean almost felt offended by how quickly Sam leaped out of the car and ran inside, forgetting his back pack in the process.  _Jeez. How can he prefer animals to people?_ Dean thought, shaking his head and starting up the engine again. He drove off, heading home and leaving his brother to pet dogs and cuddle kittens. 

 

***

 

Dean's phone beeped, and he checked the time - 5:45. He got up with a groan, heading down to the garage. The car started up beautifully as always, Dean smiling and patting the wheel with his hand as he pulled out of the driveway and into the street. The shelter was only a couple of minutes away, but Dean knew he wouldn't have to wait long; Sam always got out a little early. 

Dean parked in front of the nice brick building, lights illuminating the windows. He could see an angry-looking black cat sitting in the front window, along with a couple of women at the main desk focused on petting a small puppy instead of looking at the papers in front of them. Dean turned away and checked his phone again, seeing that ten minutes had passed. This was considered late for Sam, and Sam  _hated_ lateness. Dean sighed, opting to wait for three more minutes before going inside and checking. He lasted for two. 

The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by a cacophony of dog howls. One of the women turned to him, and he held up a hand to stop her. 

"I'm just here to pick up my brother. Sam still here?" 

One of the women - no, a girl, she was too young - smiled at the name. She had a name tag on, reading 'Jess' in pretty, flowing handwriting.  _  
_

"You're Dean! Sam talks a lot about you. C'mon, he's right around the back."

Jess had a sweet, soft voice, blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders as she walked to the back room. Dean followed her, noting that this girl  _had_ to be one of Sam's reasons for staying, even though she was probably way out of Sam's league. She led him through a short hallway, the sound of barking dogs getting louder. They walked through a big room full of cages, dogs getting louder when they saw Dean. Several tried to jump out of their enclosures as Dean passed by, and he would be lying if he told you he didn't flinch. 

After passing through the "Cage Room of Hell", as Dean had dubbed it, they walked into a quieter room. It was a large open space, several windows showing the stars from outside. Sam was sitting on the floor and playing with a tiny, golden puppy - the tiny dog was climbing all over his chest and pawing at his shirt, another puppy sniffing at Sam's hair. 

"Oh. Hey Dean. Is it six already? Hey Jess," Sam sat up, cradling the dogs in his arms as he did so. 

"Hi, Sam," Jess smiled as she returned Sam's greeting, stepping forward and taking one of the pups out of the younger Winchester's hands.

"Yeah, it's probably past six now. For someone that's punctual most of the time, this is pretty fucking late for you, Sammy." 

"Look, Dean, I'm sorry. I just... puppies, okay? Look at them!" Sam stepped forward and shoved a dog in Dean's face, the golden animal trying to lick Dean before he could scramble backwards. 

"Sam, you know that I  _do not_ like-"

"Jess? Sam?" Dean stopped when a fourth voice entered the conversation. He turned and glanced behind him at the doorway, seeing someone new standing there and managing to somehow hold two cats at once with another one wrapped over his shoulders. 

"Sam, is this Dean?" The guy looked at the two younger kids, Sam nodding and smiling. 

"Dean, this is Castiel. Castiel, this is Dean. He's allergic to cats, though, so don't get too close."

Dean gaped at the cat guy -  _Castiel,_ or whatever his name was. He stood about as tall as Dean, maybe an inch shorter; dark brown hair that looked almost black in the fluorescent lights, sharp features, and bright blue eyes. He wore an old red t-shirt that was  _covered_ in varying shades of cat hair, so Dean was actually unsure if the shirt was really red or not. The guy looked tired and his voice sounded like he'd been swallowing gravel, but there was also a kind of soothing lilt to his voice that seemed to calm down everyone in the room, animals and people included. 

"Hello, Dean. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Sam speaks highly of you."

Castiel was looking straight at Dean, eyes locked and a slight upwards tilt to his lips - not quite a smile, but almost. One of the cats in his arms mewled, and he softly shushed it before leaning down and planting a soft kiss to the animal's head. When he looked back up at Dean, smiling fully now, Dean knew he was fucked. Completely, entirely, and utterly fucked. 

"Nice to - uh - yeah, yeah you too," he looked down at the ground, unable to look at Castiel for so long. He was beautiful, and Dean didn't usually swim in those waters of his sexuality, but Castiel was making Dean dive right in. "Come on, Sam. Dad'll get worried." 

"Dean, you still have to meet Gabriel-" 

"Sam, we have to go." 

Sam threw Dean a dirty look before handing the other dog to Jess, smiling softly at her before saying goodbye. Sam dusted himself off, still covered in golden fur from the puppies. He walked straight past Dean and back into the Cage Room of Hell, dogs going insane when he walked inside. Sighing, Dean began to follow him before he was stopped by someone touching his shoulder. He turned around, finding himself oddly closer than he should be to someone holding three cats.

"It really was nice to meet you, Dean. You have a wonderful brother. Will you tell him I said goodbye?" Castiel's eyes were wide and hopeful, and Dean felt like he was getting lost in them. 

"Yeah, sure. Nice seeing you, Cas- _achoo!"_ Dean managed not to sneeze right in Castiel's face, and he heard the other boy laugh quietly at him. "Goodbye, Dean." _  
_

Dean watched as he strode over to another door, opening it and walking through to what Dean assumed was the cat section of the facility. 

_Yep. So fucked._

 

***

 

Sam keeps going to the shelter, and Dean keeps just picking him up and dropping him off, despite wanting to barge in there and kiss Castiel in every possible way known to man (among other things). Dean hasn't had a crush since he liked Lisa when he was sixteen, but now here he was, practically  _pining_ for a guy he'd met once. But Dean couldn't  _not_ think about Cas - every time he saw blue eyes, Cas. Cats? Cas. Impossibly pretty lips? Well, so far he hadn't seen anyone else with lips as nice as Castiel's, but he knew who would come to mind if he had seen someone with lips like that. It was ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous. 

"Dean."

"Yeah?"

They were sitting in the car, Dean patiently waiting for Sam to get out and go in, and Dean definitely wasn't staring wistfully at the front doors. 

"Just come in with me today."

"Why?"

"Because either you have a crush on Castiel or you have a new infatuation with dogs that you won't admit to."

"What? No way! I do not have a crush on Cas, Sam." Dean turned away from his brother, staring out of his window. 

Sam raised his eyebrows. _"Cas?"_  

Dean could feel the blush rise up in his cheeks. "What? It's easier to say than Castiel. Whatever, it doesn't matter. I don't want to go in and be surrounded by dogs for three hours."

Sam rolled his eyes, then shrugged, opening the car door as he did so. "Fine," 

Right before Sam shut the door, he leaned back in. "He's working with us today. Not with cats. So, yeah. You'd probably get to talk to him." With that, Sam turned and sprinted up the sidewalk to see his friends. 

_Goddamnit._

Dean pulled his key out of the ignition, stuffing it in his pocket before slamming the door shut with more force than he had to. He walked up to the front doors, smoothing out the gray hoodie he was wearing and hoping to God that his hair looked okay.  _Jesus, when did you start to worry about your hair?_

The doors jingled as he stepped inside, something he hadn't noticed the night before. The main woman at the desk gave him a smile and told him that he could go on through and help with whatever the other kids needed help doing. Dean gave her a quick nod and hurried through the Cage Room of Hell, finding that the room from before was empty of everyone except for a small German Shepherd puppy. The dog immediately ran up to him, jumping on his calf and barking. Dean leaned down and picked the small animal up, the dog immediately quieting once he was held. He smiled, scratching the soft fur.

"Dean?" A high, happy voice greeted him from the door Cas had entered before - it was Jess, golden hair knotted behind her head in a bun. "Sam said you were coming today! We're washing some of the dogs outside. Want to help? Or you can stay in here with the Colonel if you want."

"The Colonel?" 

"Yeah, that's his name. Y'know, the dog you're petting?" Jess smiled, walking over and joining Dean in scratching behind the Colonel's ears. "Ugh, he needs a bath too. Come on, let's go wash him up."

Dean followed Jess through the door, which led into a similar open room, but with scratching posts and fake mice. He sneezed immediately, making the puppy yelp in surprise. 

"Sorry, this is the cat enclosure."

Jess apologized, walking over to another door. This one led outside, a nice breeze greeting the two kids as they walked out. Dean could hear Sam laughing, and they turned a corner to find three baths set up under the small arbor, about a dozen dogs scampering around the yard. Sam was busy trying to bathe another golden puppy, and Cas was sitting next to him with - oh god. Castiel wasn't even wearing a proper shirt - he was clad in jeans and a t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his arms. But the thing that was so sinful about that fabric was that it was soaking wet and sticking to the boy's frame, showing off strong muscles in his shoulders and back. As soon as Castiel looked up and waved at Dean, he had to look down in order to make it a little less obvious that he'd just checked the guy out. 

Jess had already scampered over to help Sam, the small dog putting up a fight. Dean walked over slowly, rolling up his sleeves as he settled the Colonel into the third bathtub. Cas give him a soft nod, returning to scrub at the scruffy dog in his tub. Dean grabbed a bottle of soap, lathering up his hands and getting to work on the puppy's fur. Luckily, the Colonel didn't fight against the bath - in fact, he seemed to enjoy it. 

"I can't believe he's not squirming. He's never that relaxed with us," Castiel remarked, looking over as Dean soaped up the tiny animal. "You've got a way with him. Do all dogs like you?" Cas tilted his head, Dean finding the action to be endearing.

"No, not really - I don't like dogs and dogs don't like me." He continued to scrub at the puppy's underbelly, washing his legs and tail.

"Evidence points to the contrary, Dean. Why don't you like dogs?" 

Dean sighed. He hated that question. Hated the story about why. "I was fucking  _attacked_ by one when I was little. The thing nearly ripped my chest open. So yeah, I don't really like dogs, Cas." 

Instead of the usual  _"Wow, what a jerk"_ reaction that he got, Castiel nodded slowly and gently touched Dean's shoulder. "I'm sorry. That must have been awful. I can see why you don't like them. Some  _are_ violent - it's mainly due to poor training. People are so chaotic in their decision-making. Why would they buy an animal they could not even care for?" 

Dean shrugged, trying not to think about how his nerve endings were practically on fire from being in contact with Castiel's hand. "People are stupid. They do stupid shit. It's part of life."

Cas nodded, taking his hand away and finishing up rinsing off his dog. The two washed three more dogs each in silence, Dean occasionally glancing up to look at Castiel in the fading light of the day. Twice, Dean found Castiel looking back at him, both boys quickly averting their eyes and ignoring the blushes staining their cheeks. They listened to Sam and Jess talk happily, and Dean could see plain as day that Sam had a massive crush on this girl, and it was mutual.  _Nice, Sammy,_ Dean thought, smiling at the two younger kids.  _  
_

His watch beeped, and he realized it was time to go. Although he had spent most of his time just looking at Cas and getting drenched by dogs shaking off, Dean had really loved it - all of the dogs were friendly, and only a few were friendly to the point of oops-I-accidentally-ran-you-over. He dried off with Sam, saying goodbye to Jess and Castiel. 

"Dean?" Castiel called from the tubs, still working on cleaning an old mutt that needed extra time and attention. 

"Yeah?" Dean tried to ignore the way it felt like his heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name on Castiel's lips. 

"It was nice having you here today. Are you going to be coming with Sam now?"

"Um... I dunno. Maybe?" Dean shrugged, wiping his hands nervously on his jeans. 

Castiel rubbed the old dog's head again before looking up to Dean, smiling softly. "You should. Goodbye, Dean." 

Dean felt himself exhale quickly, eyes completely focused on Castiel's. "Yeah. Bye, Cas."

 

***

 

Dean goes with Sam everyday. He meets everyone that volunteers there, but the only ones that go as often as Sam are Cas and Jess. Some days Charlie and Jo are there, maybe Benny and Ash, Garth or Pam, maybe even Gabriel, Castiel's annoying older brother. Gabriel never does anything while he's there, just sits and watches them work.

"Cassie, come on! I know for a fact that you can cuddle that dog harder than you're cuddling it right now," Gabriel said from the doorway, leaning on the door frame. He was chewing gum, popping it loudly every few seconds. 

"Gabriel, cuddling is not supposed to be something 'hard'," Cas gritted out the words, a Beagle pup sleeping on his chest. 

"Something ends up hard if you do it the right way! Well, not with dogs. If that happens, you've got a bit of a problem."

Gabriel laughed at his own joke, everyone else in the room continuing to play with the various dogs in the open playroom. Jess and Sam were tending to a few older mutts, Dean stroking the Colonel again. The dog had taken a real liking to him for some reason. 

"Why do you even come here?" Jess asked, softly rubbing an older black dog that they had named Lady. 

"So I can make fun of Cassie here, of course! Or  _Cas_ , as your boyfriend affectionately calls you." Gabriel smirked as he finished the sentence, Castiel and Dean both going red.

"He is not my boyfriend, Gabriel." 

"I'm not his boyfriend, asshole."

He laughed from the door, leaning his head back and full-on  _chortling_. " _Not_ boyfriends? Seriously, I've seen two guys in the act and you two are gayer than that!" 

Everyone in the room at that point was blushing and uncomfortable, Sam and Jess looking at each other worriedly. Castiel stood up, handing his dog to Dean. He walked over to his brother, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him down the hall. Dean, concerned, followed behind after sharing a look with Sam. He put down his dogs, trailing the brothers until he found them in one of the back storage rooms. Dean peeked at them from behind a corner, eyes widening when he realized that Cas had shoved his brother up against the wall.

"How  _dare_ you say that. I put my trust into you and you choose to do  _that?_ " He shoved Gabriel again, the older boy shorter and not nearly as strong as Cas was. 

"Hey, hey hey hey... baby bro, it's nothing to worry about. Can't you see that they guy's practically drooling over you? I mean, seriously. Are you blind? Do you need glasses?"

" _Gabriel."_ Cas shoved again, voice going dangerously low. Dean couldn't hear the sentence Castiel uttered, but he could see that it made Gabriel's eyes go wide.

"Fine, fine. Jesus."

Castiel stepped away, watching his brother exit. He sighed, and Dean felt a pang in his chest at the sad slope of Castiel's shoulders. But then, Cas turned and he was walking straight to the place Dean was, and it was too late for him to go back without being seen, and  _oh shit-_

"Dean?" Castiel's voice was surprised, and he looked embarrassed. "Did you-"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, looking at the floor and then back at Castiel. He realized that he hadn't backed up at all, and they were just a few inches apart. 

"Y'know, Cas, it  _was_ kind of hot." Dean flashed a grin, Castiel's face turning pink as his eyes drifted down to Dean's lips.  _Okay, wow. Alright, that was hotter._ _He didn't even do anything, he looked at my mouth - God, you're so messed up. Why did you say that again?_

"You found that attractive?" Castiel's voice was pitched low again, eyes darting from Dean's lips and back again. 

"So far, Cas, I haven't found a single thing about you that's unattractive." Dean smiled, suddenly feeling like his voice is too loud. 

Castiel stepped forward again, lips just two scant inches apart. "Is this okay?" He asked, breath ghosting over Dean's lips. 

"Hell yes," Dean grabbed the front of Castiel's shirt, dragging him in for a kiss. 

Dean was pleasantly surprised at Cas's obvious experience - he shoved Dean back, but gentler than he had been with Gabriel. He kept one hand on Dean's shoulder, letting the other drift up to card through Dean's hair. Dean opened his mouth, softly nipping at Castiel's lips and grinning when he heard the soft noise the other boy made. Dean settled his hands on Castiel's hips, slowly dragging him forward until they were together completely. Castiel's lips were pliant and warm, and his mouth tasted sweet, like honey. Dean sighed, exploring Cas's mouth and feeling his body shiver when Castiel kissed him back, tongues sliding together and eliciting soft moans from both boys. Dean paused to breathe, locking eyes with Cas and grinning wildly. Their lips connected again, Dean about to slip a hand under Cas's shirt when he heard Sam run up the hallway. 

 

***

 

Sam handed Jess thirty dollars, expression grave compared to her wide smile. The puppies surrounding them were unaware of the transaction, opting to scamper around and play with squeaky toys instead of admire Sam's lack of betting skills. 

"I can't believe Dean couldn't have waited one more week. Just  _one week."_

She grinned again, leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on Sam's cheek. "Who cares? At least they're together now. And they're really cute. I've never seen Cas so happy before!"

_"I_ care! I just lost thirty dollars!" Sam still smiled as he said it, unable to frown when he was with Jess. 

"I'm just glad it didn't take you five months to admit you liked me - unlike your brother."

"Yeah, Dean's kinda stupid sometimes," Sam nodded, agreeing with her. 

They gently played with the dogs for another few minutes, Dean and Castiel entering the room looking thoroughly disheveled. Cas's lips were red and there was a dark spot on his neck that hadn't been there before. Dean's shirt was rucked up slightly and his hair was sticking up everywhere. 

"Did I just hear that you guys were betting on us?" Dean asked, reaching a hand out to Castiel. 

"Well, yeah. It was inevitable." Jess explained, shrugging and gesturing to their conjoined hands. 

Dean wondered why he hadn't started coming to the shelter earlier. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> feedback/comments are always appreciated!  
> (also to everyone that's commented on my work before, thank you so much!)  
> (and i didn't check over this closely so there are more mistakes than usual)


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